How Wadume spent five days in Kano hideout before arrest

On Monday, August 19, a team of policemen attached to the Inspector General of Police Intelligence Response Team, led by a Deputy Commissioner of Police, Abba Kyari, stormed Layin Mai Allo community at the outskirts of Gezawa Local Government of Kano State and re-arrested a suspected kidnap kingpin, Hamisu Bala, popularly known as Wadume. There are two accounts explaining how Wadume was arrested on the fateful Monday. According to one Musa Idris, a resident of the area, the suspected kidnapper was picked by some plain cloth security men at Mai Allo Plaza while he was trying to buy some goods.

“The man came to buy some items at the plaza and the security men apprehended him. The security operatives disguised as customers and entered the shop shortly after Wadume.

“Three officers waited outside the plaza while three entered inside. Few minutes later, they arrested him and dragged him into a car that was parked few meters away and whisked him away,” Idris said

However, another resident, Ali Tasi’u, 17, told Daily Trust that he was playing football few meters away from the house of the alleged kidnapper when the policemen came to arrest him.

He said the police, numbering about 25, in three Hilux vans, invaded the house shortly after Zuhr prayers for the operation that led to the arrest of the suspected kidnaper.

He said the policemen, who were armed with guns, clubs and sticks, broke into the house and brought out Wadume in handcuffs, along with another young man, supposedly his brother, a friend or an accomplice.

It was observed that many residents of the area were not aware that the operation to re-arrest the suspect was on. Some of the residents confirmed that Wadume bought a house in the area months before he relocated about five days before the operation.